Say You'll Remember Me
by allecra
Summary: Tony messed up during a mission. It was an accident. Nobody believed him. Natasha and Clint were the first to leave. Then Bruce. Then Steve. Thor was still on Asgard. Pepper quit. Happy and Rhodey abandoned him. Now, on his deathbed, will any one of them come back for one last look? Or will Tony be left to die alone? Steve/Tony, Major Character Death
1. one

For the Taylor Swift Challenge (HPFC) and Director Fury's School of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents (AFC)

/

Tony was sprawled across the pristine white sheets, his brown eyes staring up at the ceiling above him. Part of him still marveled at what had happened. His mind turned everything over - Howard telling him tales of the man who dressed in America's colors - Maria's tender smile as she held him in her arms - Jarvis smiling kindly at him as he made his way to the school - going off to college - Rhodey, oh God. Car crash - Howard and Maria and Jarvis dead - taking control over Stark Industries. Pepper - Afghanistan - Ten Rings - Yinsen - Arc Reactor - I am Iron Man. S.H.I.E.L.D. - Natasha - palladium poisoning - meeting Captain America. Billionaire, Genius, Playboy, Philanthropist. ( _Big man in a suit of armor - take that off, what are you?)_ Bruce - Thor - Clint - Coulson's dead.

The battle against Loki and the Chitauri - the wormhole - the nuke - the feeling of weightlessness as he stood in space - and the explosion - then falling.

Then eyes open.

Still alive.

Confusion - how did he survive?

Meeting the man behind the costume - getting to know Steve - falling in love - and then . . . the mission.

Tony fucking up - Steve leaving him - and then that feeling of being broken all over again.

And the brain tumor.

Everything falling apart.

Tony was dying again.

This time, there was no escape. ( _I think I would just cut the wire)_

 _/_

 _t.b.c._


	2. two

For the Taylor Swift Challenge (HPFC) and Director Fury's School of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents (AFC)

/

"Mister Rogers - " Hearing the voice, Steve picked up his phone and ended the connection instantly, before turning the sound off.

/

"Miss Romanova - " Without thinking, Natasha threw her phone across the room, watching unflinchingly as it shattered against the wall and fell onto the floor.

/

"Mister Barton - " In a matter of seconds, Clint let loose an arrow, watching coldly as the phone was split into pieces by the flying projectile.

/

"Mister Odinson - " Oh, never mind. Asgard didn't have wi-fi. Or phones.

/

"Mister Banner - " Bruce stared at the phone for a really long moment. Then, he stood up and exited the room, leaving the phone on the table.

/

"Miss Potts - " Pepper glanced at her phone, recognizing the voice as J.A.R.V.I.S.'s. She picked up the phone.

"I thought I told you to never call me again." She spoke icily, before ending the call.

/

"Mister Hogan - " Happy stared at the phone. He turned it off.

/

"Mister Rhodes - " Rhodey picked up the phone.

"I'm sorry, but I have better things to be doing." Then, he pressed the red "end call" button.

/

Tony laid in the bed. His head pounded. His mouth was dry. He knew he was going to die soon.

/

He knew nobody was going to come and say goodbye.

/

 _t.b.c._


	3. three

For the Taylor Swift Challenge (HPFC) and Director Fury's School of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents (AFC)

/

 _beep . . . beep . . . beep_

/

The beeps were the only indication that the thin figure on the bed was still alive.

/

 _beep . . . beep . . . beep_

/

Brown eyes flicker open as the figure on the bed wakes up.

"Good morning. It's 11 A.M. The weather in Malibu is 74 degrees with clear skies." The voice of J.A.R.V.I.S. spoke from the speakers in the room. Then, J.A.R.V.I.S. paused. "Sir, you have a visitor."

/

Phil entered the room. His eyes widened a fraction at how fragile the billionaire looked, before he composed himself.

"Mister Stark." Phil kept his voice even as he greeted the Tony. The genius stared back at him blankly, before settling back into his pillows.

"What the hell do you want?" Tony bit out, his voice strained. Phil took a deep breath, before he started to explain.

"You see . . . "

/

"You want me to house the Avengers?" Tony's voice was incredulous as he stared at the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. He stared back unflinchingly.

"In short, yes." Coulson replied, and a deep sigh escaped Tony's mouth.

/

Tony says yes, of course, even though the thought of any of his ex-teammates near him sent shivers down his spine. And no, not in the good way.

/

 _beep . . . beep . . . beep_

/

Maybe Tony just wants to see them all in real life, one last time, before he dies.

/

 _t.b.c._


	4. four

For the Taylor Swift Challenge (HPFC) and Director Fury's School of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents (AFC)

/

Tony isn't conscious when the Avengers arrive at his house. The genius had blacked out in the middle of his kitchen and was on the floor, eyes closed and skin pale. Dummy was circling around him, as well as Butterfingers and You, all of the AI's worried about the unconscious man on the floor. J.A.R.V.I.S. was playing random sounds, trying to rouse the billionaire. J.A.R.V.I.S. had already contacted Tony's physician, but it would take the woman another thirty minutes to arrive.

/

Steve's eyes were wide as he stared at the mansion. Clint let out an impressed whistle, before landing the jet outside of the large and beautiful building.

Natasha exited the jet first, her backpack on her back and black sunglasses hiding her green eyes from view.

Clint followed her, taking the key out of the jet and powering it down, clipping the key onto his belt and finding his bag.

Bruce carried a handheld luggage, peering curiously at the large building and wondering where the owner of said building was.

Steve exited the jet last, closing the door behind him. A bag was slung over his shoulder.

"So this is T - Stark's house?" Steve asked, wincing as he almost said the billionaire's name. Natasha flashed him a grim smile.

"Yup."

/

They entered the house, all of them wary and on alert, expecting Stark to jump out at them and attempt to scare them.

Surprisingly, Stark was nowhere in sight.

 _"Sirs and Miss Romanova - "_ J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice spoke from above.

"Mute." Natasha ordered and J.A.R.V.I.S. fell silent. His message about his unconscious master never went through.

/

 _t.b.c._


	5. five

For the Taylor Swift Challenge (HPFC)

/

The Avengers all think that the woman that enters Stark's house thirty minutes after their arrival is probably Stark's lover, or a random girl he knows from a fling. They all regard her with cool, yet curious stares. None of the Avengers have stepped foot in the kitchen yet, so the owner of the house was still lying motionlessly on the cold tiles, with anxious AI's whirring around him.

"J.A.R.V.I.S." The woman spoke, clutching her bag slightly tighter as she entered the house. "Where's Mr. Stark?"

" _Miss Swift_." J.A.R.V.I.S. greeted, his voice full of relief. " _Sir is unconscious in the kitchen_." Bruce frowned upon hearing this, concern for his former friend flashing through his brown eyes. The woman's lips turned down in a frown, as she quickly made her way through the house, her black heels clacking loudly against the tiles. The Avengers follow her like ducklings trailing after their mother.

/

A worried sound escaped Steve's throat as he saw the unconscious billionaire.

The woman that the team had followed didn't spare any of the teammates a glance, rushing over to Stark's side immediately.

"How long has he been unconscious?" The woman spoke out loud, as she checked the unconscious man's pulse, frowning when the pulse was weak.

" _Miss Swift, Sir has been unconscious for thirty-two minutes. He collapsed after finishing a phone call with Agent Coulson and Director Fury. He collapsed on his stomach and as Dummy had been taught, he turned Sir onto his back and tried to revive him with chest compressions."_

/

As the woman worked, the Avengers gathered around in a corner of the kitchen.

Steve's concerned, but at the same time, he's trying to ignore the tugging on his heartstrings as he sees a foreign woman prodding at the unconscious man's body.

Bruce is flat out concerned, but holds himself back, recognizing the woman as an actual doctor who is clearly trusted by J.A.R.V.I.S., as well as the other AIs, which had backed away obediently as the woman approached.

Clint wanted out. He didn't want to be housed in the same house that held the cocky billionaire. Clint knew that there was more to the story from the event years ago that had severed the two's friendship, but he never approached Stark and never wanted to.

Natasha was curious, behind her blank mask. She had this feeling - this unexplainable feeling that was calling out, trying to force her body to rush over to the billionaire, to the former friend, but she held herself back. She knew that there was something definitely wrong with the man.

/

Little did they know, the man would only have a few months left, before all would be lost.


	6. six

For the Taylor Swift Challenge (HPFC)

/

Natasha exited the room silently, pulling out her (new) phone as she left. She stood in the hallway and dialed Phil's number.

"Coulson speaking." Phil's voice appeared after several seconds.

"There's something wrong with Stark." Natasha said bluntly, not bothering to tiptoe ( _You're tiptoeing ..._ _you need to strut_ ). There was a moment of silence when Phil didn't respond, before his voice came over the line again.

"You're acting like that's a surprise?" Natasha could tell from Phil's voice that he knew something. He was hiding something. Her eyes narrowed and her grip on her phone tightened.

"Cut the crap, Phil. What's wrong with Stark?" Natasha asked, her voice starting to take on a colder tone.

"Why, did something happen?" Phil replied, and Natasha's free hand balled up into a fist as she tried to push back the worry that started to rise to the front of her mind.

"He fainted."

Silence.

"He fainted before we arrived, and some woman came in - Miss Swift, if I remember correctly." Natasha continued.

Silence.

"Phil?"

...No reply.

"Phil, cut the crap. What's wrong with Stark?"

Finally, Natasha heard the other SHIELD agent sigh.

" _It's getting worse._ " Natasha heard him murmur, sounding slightly downcast.

"What's getting worse?"Natasha inquired, starting to feel impatient. "Phil, can you just answer my damn question? What the hell is wrong with Stark?"

Phil didn't reply.

/

 _t.b.c._


	7. seven

For the Taylor Swift Challenge (HPFC)

/

Clint didn't know how to feel. On one hand, he felt extremely worried for the man that he had once called a friend. But - this man, this ( _genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist_ ) man had done something that almost resulted in his death. Of course, in this profession, there were many times that dancing with death was inevitable, but the mistakes that this man made - unforgivable. Natasha had almost died, as well, and that would be something that Clint would never forgive Tony for.

But seeing the man on the floor, unconscious - something tore at Clint, clawing up his insides and struggling to escape - something within him wanted to approach, to try and help the man, but Clint suppressed the feeling.

Yes, Clint _knew_ there was something weird going on, all those months ( _oh God - has it already been two years?_ ) ago. He was aware that Tony wouldn't just drop everything and abandon his fellow Avengers. There must have been a reason that he couldn't reply to any of their messages.

But Tony didn't defend himself. Natasha attacked with words and even daggers, ready to shed his blood. Steve attacked with accusing gazes, disapproving glances and words. Bruce just stood there, shaking his head, resigned. At the time, Clint was unconscious.

Clint awoke, not sure what was going on. Natasha told him that Stark had abandoned their mission and left them to die. Steve didn't say anything. Bruce just shrugged and looked away. In the beginning, Clint tried to defend Tony, unsure of what was going on and knowing that Natasha's words were biased.

Of course, there wasn't much that Clint could really do - Stark didn't even defend himself.

So eventually, Clint stopped trying. Clint packed his bags and left alongside Natasha. Bruce left soon after, with only a few parting words. From what Clint had heard, Steve had left Stark Tower without any words. Just packed his bags, took his things, and left Stark in the dust.

Clint had heard word of Stark's downward spiral from there. Drinking, not going outside - what?

It wasn't like Clint actually cared, right?

So in the end, Clint watched with cold eyes as a plain-looking woman checked over Stark's condition. Why the hell had Phil decided that the actual Avengers (not just a consultant or a hero who puts the lives of innocents on the line) had to stay here?

Clint caught a glimpse of Natasha as she left the room, her hand holding her cell phone.

After a few moments, she returned, looking frustrated. Clint caught her eye and she shook her head. They still didn't know what was wrong with their host.

Stark clearly had problems.

And no, Clint was totally not worried.

/

 _t.b.c._


End file.
